author
William Ramsay
1852–1916
Best known for revealing the noble gases, this Scottish chemist helped add an entirely new family of elements to the periodic table. His work transformed the study of the atmosphere and earned him the 1904 Nobel Prize in Chemistry.
1 Audiobook
The Gases of the Atmosphere: The History of Their Discovery
by William Ramsay
About the author
Born in Glasgow on October 2, 1852, William Ramsay became one of the most important chemists of his era. He studied in Scotland and in Germany, then went on to teach and carry out research at Bristol before joining University College London, where much of his most famous work was done.
Ramsay is remembered above all for his role in identifying the noble gases. Working in the 1890s, he helped discover argon, helium in terrestrial minerals, neon, krypton, and xenon, showing that these unusual gases formed a distinct group of elements. That achievement reshaped the periodic table and changed how scientists understood the composition of air.
In 1904 he received the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his services in discovering these inert gaseous elements and determining their place in the periodic system. He died on July 23, 1916, at High Wycombe in Buckinghamshire, leaving a legacy as a brilliant experimental chemist whose discoveries opened a new chapter in modern chemistry.